Diagonally Parked in a Parallel Universe
by Kelsenellenelvial Gil-Ravadry
Summary: Carmen Seville is the new human in town. But the towns people are cars, and they speak for themselves. For in Radiator Springs, one thing must be remembered; it takes 8,460 bolts to assemble an automobile, and one nut to scatter it all over the road.
1. Mater

**Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am making any profit out of, **_**Cars**_** or its characters. The character Carmen Seville is mine, but we're going to ignore her horrid name. For now.**

**A/N: I loved Cars. This is an obvious testament to that. As for everyone being written in character, well, I can only try my hardest, right? **

**88  
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When you first wake up from being unconscious, and in a strange place, the first thing most people notice is how they are feeling bodily. It's a lot of strain to get yourself back online, or at least that's what it feels like. Your brain does a lot of guessing on you, your organs wobble a bit but continue functioning, and you are generally sleepy. But most of all, depending on your current position, you are generally in pain.

And Carmen Seville was in a whole lot of hurt at the moment, her stiff spine and aching head told her.

Something buzzed about her head, and a lazy hand swatted at the nuisance and connected roughly with a satisfying metal _thunk! _The hand paused in consideration at this new information.

'_I might have hit my head hard…but when do bugs make a tinking sound like that?'_

The disoriented dark haired nineteen year old sat up quite gingerly, before nearly tumbling ass over teakettle down a rocky crumbling ravine into a clump of cacti. She couldn't help it; she shrieked and grabbed at the gravel to slow her slide. It worked, barely, but she anchored herself further by digging her converses into the ground…though they really had little to no traction. Fully aware now of her surroundings, Carmen took in the scenery before her as she clung to the hill side.

It was hot, humid but not entirely unlivable in. Every so often a breeze caressed her sweaty forehead like a teasing kiss, and a cooling energy surged into her fatigued body as she held desperately to the dry dirt. The cacti were everywhere it seemed, all spines prickling this way and that and waiting for an inspecting victim to snare themselves on one of their thorns. They were brilliant green, refreshingly so, against the burnt umber ravine to which Carmen clutched to.

The terrain was unfamiliar, but possibly a desert. It did remind her of the Colorado Desert in California back home, dry, barren…yet somehow leaking vibrant life with its canyons and sediment carvings throughout the hills and valleys of pure stone. It was beautiful, yes, but not where Carmen wanted to be.

A few pebbles dropped loose and spilled down the hillside and Carmen gathered herself, sucking in air before shouting out above her, anywhere, for anyone to hear.

"_Helllloooo_! Hello, can anyone hear me! Please! Anyone!" _'With my luck I'll start a rock slide.'_

After a sound ten minutes wasted of crying to the sky, Carmen tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before gripping to the brush her hands had found to cling to. _'Maybe I can pull myself up? It's worth shot.'_

Just as Carmen made to begin the harrowing journey upwards, the sound a vehicle approaching above her could be heard. It sounded rather old, but a car was a car nonetheless, and cars meant people.

"Hey!"

"…Uh, who's that?" It was heavy southern accent, but Carmen made no notice of it, only thankful they had even answered in the first place. A person was a person.

"Please, can you pull me up? I'm stuck down here…I have been for the past few hours I think…please?"

The motor stopped all together, as if hesitant. The person must have picked up on her desperation, or just wanted to help, because the voice sounded instantly warm and friendly.

"Well, shoot, you's sure lucky ta find me, ain't cha?"

"Can you call someone then?"

"What fer?" Something rattled like clanking metal. "Ya'all got the best dern towing service right here! I'll have ya out ina jiff!" Carmen could have cried with relief. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on with out heading down to the cacti, let alone find someway up the steep incline all by herself. Not only that, but dusk seemed to be settling, and Carmen was not eager to find out what else lurked in this place besides metal sounding bugs. She thanked her lucky stars she had found someone with a tow truck.

How right…or wrong actually, she was.

Mater had heard the voice calling from a ways away, sound sure carried around these parts, and as he checked Willy's Butte for any more tourists at the end of the day, he was surprised to actually _find_ one. The poor car must have taken a wrong turn around the track and ended up in the cacti clump. Nigh was falling, and while he did have one functioning headlight left, the other car didn't have any lights on. It didn't matter, he could see plenty, but to be on the safe side he did not head over the incline lest he get caught and slip down himself. He'd have to go fishing from a few feet away from the hill.

Now, the voice sounded like a female, so Mater hurried in his rescue and swung his cable end over the rock quicker than a cat on a hot tin roof.

Carmen watched a cable hook fly down at her, and caught the front loop on her jeans.

She swallowed. _'Man…this guys' got great aim with his tow truck cable. Geez. how is he aiming with a hunk of machinery anyway?'_ Stabling herself, Carmen grasped the hook tight anyway, as if she were rocking climbing.

The rusty truck felt his hook catch onto something, it always did, and he gathered himself up proudly, and gave his lead a quick tension check. Yep. Ready. "Y'all don't worry your pretty little hood, I'm a'gonna take it nice an easy and before you know it, you'll be safe and sound at Flo's!"

Mater gave the crank a great heave, as accustomed to towing up a car usually his weight or just below it. And nearly toppled over his front wheels. He let slack his cable an inch, shifting his two front wheels to look behind him to see over the side of the gorge. He saw only cacti protrude up at him, but he heard a startled yelp when he'd pulled.

"Well you alls just a lil thing! Ain't weigh no more 'an my hood I reckon! What kinda car is you, one a dem fancy new hybreeds is ya?" Excited by the prospect of meeting a new face, Mater cranked up his cable with definite easy, only to find a scrawny little pale thing hanging on to his hook.

It had it's wheels…things…wrapped so tightly around his line that he picked her clear up off the ground, and it turned it's face to him, it's eyes to his.

Both screamed bloody murder at each other.

Mater's cable went loose and the thing went plunging back down the rocky hill.

As much as the thing seemed scared of him, it was less happy to be plummeting back toward the cacti, and Mater, not one to be cruel, cranked his cable into lock, then drew it back up the side, slower this time, and he was fully turned around to see the thing emerge again.

It was shaking worse than he was this time, and when it met solid ground it let go of his hook and crumpled to the ground, tucking itself around its body.

He tiptoed forward on his wheels, still speechless. A small scared noise came from the figure, and it sniffled, as he was shaken from his thoughts.

"Uhh…Hey…aww, it's okay, whatcha cryin' fer? Shoot, I'm not gonna hurt ya, I promise." Mater shook his head, his mouth drawn done sadly. He lowered his body to the ground, thinking that if he looked smaller the thing would stop leaking and making such a sad sound.

Carmen watched the talking truck settle down with several clanks and groans, it was obviously very old, all rusted and missing it's hood and one headlight. But it had…eyes, and buck teeth! And it blinked and talked and moved on its own and it seemed so…so alive.

"What…What _are_ you?" She finally asked, incredulous and scared.

The tow truck swayed its rear end and cable back and forth happily. Its face split into such a contagious grin Carmen felt herself relax at its demeanor. "Why, I'ma tow truck! Finest towing service in Carburetor County at yer service! Name's Mater!" His cable end shot out and swung around him proudly. It drew back with a cheerful clank.

Carmen blinked. "Mater?"

The truck nodded. "Like towmater, but without the ta!"

Carmen couldn't help it, she let out a laugh. So Mater chuckled too, completely at ease with this weird little thing.

"What's yer name?" He asked.

"Carmen."

"Carmen, huh? Perdy sounding, that is. What's all up with yer weird body? Ya don't look like any car I've seen before, though ya talk an' sound like one."

Carmen tucked her hair behind her ears at Mater's scrutinizing gaze. She swallowed and stared down. _'He's never seen a human before?'_ "I'm…I'm a human, Mater."

Mater seemed confused by this information. "But I thought ya said yer name was Carmen?"

"Well, yeah, it is. Human is like…what truck is to you! You're a truck and I'm a human. Your name's Mater and my name is Carmen. Understand?"

He stared at her, mouth slightly agape. "…not in da least."

Carmen stood up. Mater jumped a little on his chassie. "Well lookit that! You can stand up on yer back wheels! Hey, you gotta teach me dat sometime, okay?"

Mater rolled forward, circling around Carmen, studying her from top to bottom. He stopped, remembering something. "Hey…you still leaking. Ya got quite a beatin' from them plants, didn'tcha?" The brunette glanced around herself, seeing various nicks in her clothes and dirt and mud and small scratches. They only started hurting when she discovered them, but her head was pounding like mad. Mater turned toward the dirt track and started for the road back to town.

"C'mon and follow me! I'll getcha back to town, you don't need a towing but ya could use a helping wheel, right?" He was nearly up the bend before his rear view mirror flipped back and he saw Carmen still standing in place, holding her head. She took some shaky steps forward on her back wheels and called out to him, now rubbing her forehead.

He backed up immediately to her side, a small frown hiding his front teeth. "What'sa matter? Somethin' I said?"

The human, Carmen said "No. No, it's not you, Mater. I just…don't feel so good. Can-Can I sit in your truck bed, please? I don't think I could make it back to your town, that's all. Not walking, at least."

Mater turned his end toward her, dropping his tailgate. "Well, uh, sure I guess. Would this be considered a towing?"

Carmen crawled into Mater's truck bed, relieved to find a small tarp to lay her head on. "I don't know. …But thank you Mater." Mater watched the small thing settle in his back, curled up around his cable leg. It really was very light, no trouble to carry at all, and Mater found he didn't mind so much.

Whistling a nameless tune to himself, the rusty tow truck headed back up the hill, heading for Radiator Springs. Why, Lightning would _never_ guess what he'd found this time!

**66**

Lightning McQueen was a racecar before anything else, and above all, he loved speed. The wind as it whistled around him, the feel of the road shooting underneath him, the scenery blending into various colors as he went faster, faster. It all enthralled him, and any day he could spend laying low along the road as he practiced his techniques was a day well spent to him.

Lately though, his trips to Willy's Butte with Doc were far and few in between. Between his and the town's new found popularity, his priorities took a back burner as he spent his days touring or giving tours to help out with the rush from Radiator Springs.

He didn't mind it, not really.

But even his gentle drives with Sally were getting slim. It was sad, really, he didn't want to lose his enjoyment, but he loved Radiator Springs as if he'd lived in the place his whole life, and he wanted it taken care of. To this day he wasn't fond of the road getting fixed by just any old car, Bessie needed special handling, and you had to have just the right touch and enough horsepower to even expect to get any where at all with the paving machine.

He frowned at the small cracks in the pavement on Main Street just outside Flo's. He had just repaired some holes from winter last month by Red's station. It was July after all, the tourist season wouldn't start up until mid fall, maybe even early summer. The racing season was coming to a close, but training any harder would not change it, and according to Doc, only wear him out faster. He needed to be in prime shape to beat Chick and the new rookies this year in the final rounds.

Rubbing his tire over a particularly deep crack, McQueen considered the possibility of doing a paving himself in the near future, possibly the middle of the week when traffic into town slowed considerably. It might be odd for a racecar like him to do such a menial task, but his friends wouldn't mind. If anything, they shared his views on who did the road. Satisfied by this prospect, the ruby red racer pulled into reverse, backed up under the awning of the restaurant and ordered a night drink to end the evening on a tasty note.

The Sheriff coasted up into Flo's just as the twins headed home from their shift, and Lightning greeted him, spirits lifted as he saw only his close friends remained in the station. Sarge and Filmore had turned in early, but Flo, Ramone, Doc, Luigi and Guido were all settled around the place, each relaxing after the day's work. He assumed Sally was still settling in the last of the Cozy Cone's newest arrivals. They had some families today, with two or one small tots racing about the place, and were likely to be worn out and tired.

"Hi there, Sheriff." Lightning greeted the patrol car.

The police car nodded affably to the young racecar, then seemed to remember something, because he backed up and fully addressed him. "Have you seen Mater any where, kid?"

Had he? Not for most of, if at all, of the day, now that McQueen thought about it. "I think I saw him giving tours this afternoon, could there still be some running, Sheriff?"

The gruff car shook its hood. "Not that I know of. Now where could that truck have run off to now?"

"Hey everyone, lookit what I found!"

Several headlights turned to see Mater stroll up Main Street, going extra slow and avoiding any major pot holes. _'That's it, I'm hooking Bessie up on Tuesday, tourists or not.'_ Lightning thought crabbily at the craters.

Mater, for his part, swooped around Flo's station and swung his back end around, revealing something small in his truckbed. The Sheriff looked less than pleased because he rolled his eyes at the tow truck.

"Oh for Ford's sake, what is it this time Mater?"

Ever curious, Lightning came forward first to see what it was. As he rose a little up on his chassis, he saw a…well, he didn't know what he saw, actually. It wasn't a car. It couldn't have been. It was too small. It was pink, and soft-looking. It had eyes, because they turned to look at him, and they were nearly the size of hub caps when they looked at him. It had a mouth too, presumably, because it opened it and gaped at him.

It made no sound, but he rolled forward, more interested than ever.

The thing…what ever it was, shrunk back at the sight of him. "Mater…what is it?" He asked, slightly troubled.

"Well I'll be…" Doc murmured as he rolled up as well, staring at the thing in the back of Mater's bed. "Never though I'd live to see one, let alone this up close."

"One what Doc?" Flo asked. Mater glanced back to his truckbed, where the 'whomen' was still curled up against him. He felt it shiver. Well if it was cold why didn't it just turn on its heater?

Doc cleared his throat, but spoke soft enough to not startle the human any more. "That there's a human, Mater. They aren't from around here, and haven't been so for more than nearly a hundred years. …Female, by the looks of it. You got a name, kid?"

This car, a blue, older, but still beautiful looking, addressed her directly at the end of his sentence, his voice was deep, a little soothing.

"Carmen. Carmen Seville." She found herself answering almost immediately. "Sir." She supplied quietly. The car seemed satisfied with this answer, and settled back further, but did not leave.

Carmen, for her part, had only just woken up from a short doze in the back of Mater's bed to find herself encircled by a series of living cars like Mater. Well, not exactly like Mater. But they had eyes instead of windows and mouths and everything. They all seemed so distinct, too. So familiar. She was glad her pop owned that car wash, and his extent of cars led her into the family business of knowing them. It took a while, but she began recalling the types of cars she could see.

'_There's cars here! Only cars! What am I in… the living hell of the pedestrian!' _Carmen thought incredulously. The red race car neared her more, its engine loud, causing Carmen to let out a shriek, and shoot out of the truck bed and right underneath Mater, who chuckled at the human's antics.

"In't she just the funniest little critter? Hey Sheriff, ya think I can keep her?" He took great care to not squish the girl, at the very least, but settled around her nonetheless.

"Mater, humans used to keep _us_, not the other way around. _They_ could control us, drive us. Or so the legend goes. This one looks to young." Carmen wanted to tell that grumpy old Hudson that she did _too_ have a license, but the look of shock and mild disgust over the rest of the other car's features told her to not speak up to loud about that fact. She gulped. She was surrounded anyhow, by a sleek blue Motorama, a bright neon yellow and purple Chevy Impala, an Italian Fiat and a custom little forklift looking thing. Not to mention a police car, who had the law on his side, and that Hudson Hornet. Then of course there was that red stock car, who seemed youngest and more curious about her than she was of him. He circled around to Mater's side, dropping low to peer at her. She scrunched up and tried to not notice him.

"_This_ thing? This thing controlled us?" The race car asked the Hudson.

Doc's eyes were heavy lidded as he spoke, and Carmen found herself leaning forward to peer out at the Hornet. "Never understood that legend…didn't seem possible. Something so small racing so fast. In us. But now…I'm more inclined to believe that story."

"Oh my god. You're going to kill me as penance for the human race enslaving you, aren't you?" Carmen squeaked, peeking out from under Mater's front tire.

Everyone stared.

"Uh…no. No. I don't think so." Lightning was first to speak up, though he looked just as stupefied as the rest of them. Suddenly, everyone broke out in laughter.

The Impala snorted, "Like that little sparkplug could control us, man, that's a good one, Doc!"

The femine Motorama nodded, "Mhh-hmm, she's just a little darling! What could she all do?"

The two Italian models laughed in broken English and Italian.

Carmen left like they were laughing at her, and her face burned.

Even the Sheriff chuckled. "Aw c'mon, Doc, you're pulling our tires, aren't ya?"

"No I'm not!" Doc's voice broke through the crowd like a whip in the air. Everyone went dead silent, and Mater dropped a tire around Carmen, looking sheepish. "Now you listen here and you listen good, all of you, this human doesn't belong here, and it's got to go."

Carmen was tired. She was achy, but most of all, she was irritable now. Narrowing her eyes, she moved out from under Mater and clambered up to stand. She was not taller than Doc's hood, but standing in front of him made her look and feel bigger. She put her hand on her hips and glared at him.

"Well that isn't very fair, now is it? I think I have a say in all this, I am 'the human' after all! I want to go back as much as you want me gone, but I think I at least deserve a _little_ kindness from you all!" She took a breath and kept on going. "I don't know _where_ I am, I don't have anything to my name but the clothes on my back, I only know I am Carmen Seville, I am nineteen years old and I want to go back to California, USA. Or _wherever_ 'humans' go to stay out of your way!"

A short stand off took place at that moment. Carmen spoke like an infuriated hurricane and Doc took one look in those eyes and saw a familiar spunk he'd seen only once before. The girls' words fell into silence as her rant ended. Even Mater was quiet, worry etched in his features. Lightning had a feeling he wasn't the only one uncomfortable with the situation as he stared between the two.

Finally, Doc spoke, his voice low, any surprise in his features gone. "There's another part to that legend, it says that humans are harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose."

Carmen dropped her façade of bravery and cocked her head. Mater moved closer to her and nudged her.

"And you've certainly just proved that right, sparkplug." Doc nodded, with the smallest of smiles as he backed away slowly. '_He-He smiled…Did I do something right?' _Carmen thought.

"Stay as long as ya want, kid. …Just don't you go messing up this town!" Doc called a low warning over his mirror as he rolled away into the settling night.

**66**

**Mater is very hard to write for, I'm just saying. I'm a pronunciation nazi, but I still find Mater's slang loveable. It's hard not to. Writing for his character, however, is a whole different subject in itself. **

**Should I continue?**


	2. Lightning McQueen

**A/N's: There's a line in the movie after McQueen pushes The King across the finish line, his wife kisses him on the check and thanks him. Lightning's answer is simply "You're welcome," but Owen Wilson's tone is so gentle, I fell in love with Lightning more than I thought possible. His character evolves so magnificently and believably to me. Imagine his tone like this when he speaks to Carmen, like his line, "You're welcome." **

**66  
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As for staying for as long she wanted, Carmen wondered how long that could be before she died of starvation. Lack of water had been solved when she'd seen Red watering his flowers. He had never seen anything like her before, and she hadn't really either. What's worse, Mater hadn't been with her, he had reluctantly gone with the sheriff car to pick up a broken minivan with a blown tire. It was McQueen who'd over seen most of the meeting.

"Hey! You have water!" Carmen called out excitedly when she spotted him.

With a start at the sound of her voice the fire truck had backed up, knocking his flowers neatly over. "No-no! It's okay! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you, honest!" Lightning had only chuckled at the exchange and remained silent.

"I-I'm really sorry for scaring you…really."

The truck peeped out his nose from his building, watching with wide eyes. To prove her point, Carmen began gingerly picking up the upturned potted plants with utmost reverence. After that, Red, who was still skittish around her, allowed her to have one of his empty pots and fill it with his hose water, which turned out to be clear enough and hopefully, safe enough to drink.

"Some of my best oil is watered down man, you'll be _fine_." Filmore the VW bus told her slowly. Carmen wondered if cars in this place had the same exact symptoms as cars could have back home. Could they overheat? Freeze? Blow gaskets? Did they die?

Questions upon questions piled around her head until she could barely keep them in. But answers were far and few between Mater and her, who was just enthralled with the human and lead her around every inch of Radiator Springs with dutiful pleasure.

And even worse than not having Mater, that stock car was sticking to her like a burr. She was allowed to explore town at twilight, after the flow of tourists had quelled and she could move without causing commotion. Because of her night time activities, she became associated to sleep in the daytime on the plush floor of Lightning's Cozy Cone. It was number one, and only ever rented to him. There seemed to be no other options, Mater's home was essentially the junk yard, and not safe enough to hide her. Flo's and Doc's was to busy to stay in, and Sarge's just sort of scared her enough to politely decline.

An elegant female Porsche ran the Cozy Cone hotel, and also seemed to be Lightning's girlfriend. Carmen thought this was kind of cute, in a talking car sort of way.

"Curiosity killed the cat," She told the racecar as he trailed behind her down Main Street the night they met.

"But satisfaction brought her back," McQueen responded with a side glance as he coasted closer to her.

After this exchange they each began to regard one another with a sort of muted respect.

One night she even helped Mater install a string of lights around Willy's Butte. "Shoot, now Lightnin' and Doc can practice without all them tourists!" Mater explained as he grabbed a string with his cable hook. He pulled the line taught and Carmen plugged the winding cord into a small battery they'd taken down with them. With a flicker the glow of lights illuminated up the area around the worn track rather well.

But Mater had duties as tow truck for Radiator Springs, and combined with the town's larger income of cars, the conclusion became more towing and more work as cars who were not used to the travel or encountered a bought of trouble had to be towed back to Flo's or Doc's, and this had Mater running around nearly all day, with no time to spend with his new found human.

So she spent the days asleep or relaxing inside McQueen's cone-thing. If it was quiet enough she earned her keep by helping Sally clean up after customers around their living quarters. And Carmen found herself spending more and more willing time with Lightning McQueen. He showed her his races, his wins, his losses (under his breath) and even his amazing retelling of the Piston Cup against Chick Hicks and The King. Sally later filled Carmen in about a minor detail. How Lightning had selfishly tossed his trophy out the proverbial window and pushed The King across the finish track, ensuring him a dignified end to his racing career.

Carmen thought that's when she began to like McQueen a bit more.

And he was just as curious of her as she was of him, and sometimes they would spend hourless nights talking in the dark about each other, Lightning wanted to know if there were racecars and races where she came from (there was) and Carmen asked what it was like to be a racecar in the first place. (It was amazing.)

It was all unanimous to keep Carmen hidden, as not every car on the road would take to a human-driving-car as well as everyone else had. Sarge seemed cautious, Filmore thought she was a government spy for a while, and Sally warmed up to her in much the same way as McQueen did, with simple genuine curiosity.

Radiator Springs wasn't hard to get used to. From the tractors (that honest to god looked like cows,) to the worn Neon signs that illuminated every night and made the town glow radiantly, everything about Radiator Springs whispered slow down and relax and everything will be all right, just let it take it's time. Carmen found this more endearing than nearly anything else, except maybe Mater, or Lightning. The road was dust under her sneakers, as she moved little clouds of the stuff fled her steps. She walked carefully, staring at the path before her, she heard McQueen's engine throaty behind her. She stopped, and he rolled gracefully up to her.

"How long you been back there, Lightning?" She laughed at him, patting his nose affectionately.

"Well, it's getting late, just thought I'd check up on you." He responded, smiling as well.

And then, her stomach rumbled grouchily. It was hollow and empty at this point, she hadn't eaten for nearly two days, and while Carmen knew humans could survive long with water, that doesn't mean they could be happy about it or survive at all on just water. She needed some sort of nourishment, and fast, or she might as well start digging a grave next to Stanley's memorial for that matter.

That echoing pain turned to a dull sound as Lightning stared at her middle in marvel.

"Geez, did you just blow a gasket? Should I go get Doc?"

"I'm just really hungry, Lightning. I can't drink oil, you know. I've got to find something soon or…"

"You'll stop moving?" Lightning guessed. After all, running out of gas wasn't the worst thing that could happen to him, he would just lose all motor functions, but his engine wouldn't implode. He would just call for help.

"…or I could die." Carmen told him softly.

Lightning rocked on his axels at this, surprise showing through his every feature. "Whoa, die? Your engine malfunctions just by needing oil?"

Carmen nodded, propped up on her elbows on his hood and gazed at him. He gaped at her, worry filled his eyes. This wasn't good. These humans were so fragile, how had they survived for so long? Perhaps there weren't many left from where ever Carmen came from? Resolving to tell Doc his suspicions in the morning, the racing rookie settled on the plush carpet of his room.

"You should rest then, right? I'll look for food or something in the morning." He backed up as she followed, they were heading back to the Cozy Cone.

She smiled at this. "Do you even know what humans eat?"

"Well sure, they eat…uh…trees?" Lightning said hopefully.

Carmen's resounding laugh assured him that no, humans did not eat trees.

Ramone nodded pleasantly to them both as they passed his shop. It was maybe midnight, Carmen couldn't see her watch in the dark, but she was just thankful it still worked after everything she'd gone through. The streetlights made it so she didn't stumble, but Lightning still slowed beside her and nudged his nose under her hand as if to guide her. She smiled in the dark, and said nothing. If her stomach growled harshly enough to slow her, and she had to clutch at him, no one commented about it.

"Get some sleep." The stock car said softly, as the hotel garage styled door droped closed behind them and engulfed them in gray darkness. Unsure and awkward, Carmen sat against the back of the wall. At Lightning's proposal she moved closer.

It was hard at first, to fall asleep with a thousand pound hunk of living breathing machinery _right beside_ her that could accidentally move wrong and crush her, but Lightning, while he does seem to dream, stays relatively stationary at night, sometimes rocking on his wheels, but never rolling forward, only shifting around.

"It's getting colder…" Carmen mumbled in the dark, half to herself, half to him.

"The temperature drops a lot at night in the desert." McQueen sounded drowsy; his mouth barely above her ear and Carmen feels bad for waking him even slightly.

A chill passed harshly through her and she could hold quiet no longer. _'Time to test out a theory.'_ "Hey, Lightning?" She said.

"…"

"Lightning?" She felt bad now, but the goosebumps on her arm were louder than he conscience.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a heater?"

"What?…Yeah, of course. Turn yours on if you're cold."

Carmen wanted to laugh. There was still so much she didn't know about these things, but at least she knew their basis. Lightning didn't even have _that_ in his favor, he had never seen a human being before. But she knew cars, her Dad was in the car washing business, and she had picked up his appreciation with vehicles of any sort at a rather young age.

"I don't have a heater, Lightning. I just have skin."

He stirred beside her lightly, sounding more awake at this prospect.

After a few moments, in which he seemed to spend mulling something over, another gentle nudge at her shoulder, as careful as Mater was with her. "Get in." He offered quietly, driver door ajar welcomingly.

By the time the cold had driven Carmen to take refuge in Lightning; most of the talking was over. She spent the better part of that nighttime in there, warming up from the cold, and ignoring her rumbling belly. McQueen really didn't hear until one of them finally caused her to flinch. His heater turned on higher at that noise. At some point she asked if he minded if she layed down on him, and he said no.

So she leans in him, usually with her back against his driver door. She puts her arm around his headrest, a near choke hold if she were fighting him from the inside, (like humans were supposed to do but this one didn't.) but it's just an easy place, better than looped over the passenger headrest. She finds a comfortable place for one hand, usually tucked back onto his steering wheel, and lets the other one run along his smooth cushions, playing with the pattern. Her fingers are never still, she runs them along his leather cushions, down the side, or through his steering wheel, tracing small patterns only she sees. Only the arm on her chest is still, and even those fingers sometimes move to rub his seat absentmindedly.

She sits in the racecar silently, Carmen enjoying the warm air from the vents, and she beings to get drowsy. After a time he turns off his heater, and he sits carefully, Carmen sleepily watching the digital display of his stereo blink one of its random patterns as the radio plays. She sits up and stretches, working a kink out of her back. As she settles back down she twists, leaning against his other headrest, her face against his seat. He resettles his seat around her. She can't see the stereo patterns, but it doesn't matter, she knows what it looks like.

Luv Lies turns into Fly Away From Here, and the only change in the car is him putting the seat back farther. She readjusts slightly to compensate, she twists slightly and moves a hand, and he begins to drift off to sleep. She has a sudden flash of thought, the two of them probably look strange, human and car so relaxed and sleeping. It never occurs to her to share this, at this point the only things they speak of is the future, if she'll find a way home, if she'll want to go back. Neither one likes to dwell on the future, she has her reasons that she doesn't share, he has his.

The music continues to change, to Fallen Angels to Pink, and a variety in between, but always Aerosmith. Carmen lays in the car, and from time to time she asks if she's squishing him. The answer is always no, accompanied by a small chuckle. She keeps her head on his headrest, running a hand along the other, tracing his patterns yet again. She realizes that at a distance they probably look ridiculous, in such a position in the dark. She's glad that few cars can see into McQueen's Cozy Cone, and even fewer notice, as they wouldn't understand. She's not exactly sure she understands it herself.

Occasionally she lifts a hand to rub against his steering wheel. She's not quite sure if she prefers his hood's smoothness, or the slightly scratchy feel of his wheel. She runs her fingers up his dashboard, brushing it back and feeling it thrum gently. She knows by the end of the night her hands will smell like him, but she doesn't mind. She'll fall asleep smelling like leather, grass, and Rusteez medicated bumper oil. It's an odd cocktail of scents, especially to someone who tends to smell more like dust and soap, and nothing scented. She'd never give _her_ car with bumper oil, but she doesn't mind his.

They talk, sleepily and with long drawn out pauses between their sentences. About each other, about races, about humans, Mater, Doc, Sally, (Lightning's adorable when he talks about her,) water, food. The weather even.

Eventually Lightning said he needed to get going. It was daytime. He had race practice, she needed sleep. She nodded, and sat up, shaking her hair back out of her eyes. She leaned over and crawled out of him, and she shut his door quietly.

"Thanks Lightning."

"You're welcome."

Carme tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and chewed her lip. She knows when she falls asleep, she'll have to answer to dark tinted dreams, and nightmares of never returning home or being sent away from Radiator Springs, but for the moment she's content to just curl up on the plush carpet of the Cozy Cone, accompanied by the smell of leather, grass, and Rustee'z medicated bumper oil.

**66**


	3. Keep the Engine Running

**A/N's:** **So it seems while I was busy worrying about Mater's speech apttern and everyone being kept in character…I did not, unfortunately, keep the cars **_**as**_** cars in character. How exactly does the Cars universe's inhabitants operate? I believe it is a mixture of machinery and some human parts, such as eyes, teeth, tongue. Consider the part in the movie where Lightning McQueen enter Doc's garage/office and sees the Sheriff up on the lift, you pointedly see the underside of a car, and some metal implements sticking out of him, supposedly giving him a check up, or oil or something. **

**That is why I believe their anatomy goes something like that, instead of having a brain/mushy little organs in them. I don't think they bleed over scratched paint, rather a mixture of blood and oil **_**if**_** their engine gets beat up enough. That is just my opinion, and I am not an expert on cars or well…**_**Cars**_**, in either context of the word. **

**And on that note, I had several wonderful reviewers who pointed out their ideas on this subject, as well some **_**very**_** helpful comments about the racecar as a whole. Lightning doesn't have doors as he is a racecar, her would have modified seats, his engine would explode without oil, etc etc. I thank you all for this, and if any one was thinking the same but didn't speak up…well, next time please do! How else will I learn and give you a better reading experience? **

**Those authors' notes were too long, that's one of my pet peeves, you know but I had to say several of those things, they were of upmost importance. Now, I must get on with the story for you all, and give you something worth it, after that last chapter. **

**66**

Two days had passed since Carmen and Lightning's exchange in his cozy cone passed by. Carmen continued to drink water, and everyone kept on the look out for anything edible to a human. So far, several rocks, two roots, half a block of cement, and three twigs were offered to her. Carmen declined them all, politely.

It was the day right after that Carmen finally found victuals, and quite by mishap.

Carmen found an undersized coppice of apple trees.

How _apples_ of all things grew in this climate, let alone why at all, (for what principle could they provide to machines?) But there were, three bushy, lush trees all cluttered in a shoddy triangle, no doubt feeding of each other's water's supply when rain fell. They all supported different amounts of apples, a number of the fruits were small and a little under grown, (which made sense given the season) but nonetheless perfectly eatable for a starving girl.

The trees had been found approximately half a mile from Willy's Butte, to the north west.

Carmen had inspected them all carefully for anything suspicious, deemed them safe, and plucked a rather sporty looking one from one of the lower branches of the last tree, and dug her front teeth and canines into the skin of the apple heartily. The snap of the almost-red-skin as it gave way to her jaws, accompanied with the saccharine sap and the supple inner flesh of the apple as it slathered it's way in her chops and down her throat, made Carmen question if there was ever anything else so marvelous in the world at that moment.

And this was coming from someone who'd spent several days in a town populated by talking cars.

After eating two apples down to their core, Carmen gathered the little apple corpses and settled them in an area for themselves, imaging them decaying and becoming superior compost in a few days, especially under this heat. She considered the distance between the trees and town with chary thinking, and wondered how many apples that were ripe she could carry back to town, and if Lightning would be willing to stoop to 'apple basket' for her.

A fast approaching engine caught her awareness as it sped in her general direction. '_Oh, that must be Lightning…I did wander off without telling him…well, he was practicing with Doc.'_

But it wasn't. It was a different car. A diminutive black thing screeching toward her, leaving a tornado of dust, or, perhaps Lizzie might say a 'blizzard' behind in it's wake.

'_Strange…' _ Carmen thought, cupping on hand over her eyes to see though the sun's glare.

'_Oh! I can't be seen by some outside the town! Shit!' _Quick thinking Carmen headed straight for the coven of foliage, only to dash face first into a low hanging branch. She rubbed her now throbbing nose pitifully, but managed to clamber gracelessly up the trunk of the tallest tree, with little help from her apple juice sticky hands and traction-less converses.

The unknown car skidded into clearer view to her just as she wrapped her limbs round the sturdiest branch she could manage to achieve. Through the tangle of brown tree limbs and little green leaves did Carmen watch the newcomer head tenaciously for the trees still at full speed. She gulped, and the apples in her stomach settled apprehensively.

'_For Heaven's sake is he gong to ram me?' _She thought as the black car turned on two wheels and drove in a wide arch around the trees. It's back tires skidded up pebbles and loose bits of dirt as it raced back the way it had came.

Shakily, Carmen descended from her precious perch when she was sure she could no longer hear the car engine. Forgetting about taking any apples back with her, Carmen scampered all way back to Willy's Butte, half relived and half frightened out of her wits.

The third time around Willy's Butte, Lightning noticed something was missing. The fourth time, he noticed it was Carmen who was missing. He skidded to a halt, rocking left and right to look around him.

Doc rolled up to him, having seen careen so suddenly to a halt. "What's wrong kid?" He asked.

"Doc, did you see where Carmen went? She was here a second ago…right?" Good Ford, he was supposed to keep an eye on her for Mater today, but that little bolt

Doc chuckled at the stock car's small worry. "Don't worry about her, kid, that sparkplug's gotta a lotta spunk."

Lightning's eyes narrowed haughtily, "I'm not worried about anyone." He lied, finding the gravel before him suddenly very intriguing.

"Lightning! D-Doc! Hey!" Carmen was running towards them on her two legs, (she was so _slow_) from west bend of the bluff, dodging large cacti and jump around the smaller ones. They moved foreword to meet the human girl, who wheezed and came to a complete halt, doubled over, dirty hands on her dirtier jeans.

"I…found some…_hhuuuh_, food….ways that….way." she gasped out, pointing behind her. "But…I was, _huuuh_….almost…spotted." Doc looked a little alarmed at this, and he eyed her questionably.

"Who'd be out that far off road?"

A noise echoed around the canyon served as Doc's answer. Lightning coasted foreword to better prop up the sagging human with his hood and a gentle nudge, as an engine's roar filled the butte. Carmen gazed in the direction of the noise, and jumped about a mile when she recognized the car.

"That's it! That's the car, I'm sure of it!" She said.

McQueen looked at Doc, Doc looked at McQueen.

The car hadn't stopped; it was, in fact, headed purposefully _to_ them.

"Get_ down_!" Doc's commanding voice snapped Carmen out of her reverie, and she dropped to the ground on instinct, as Lightning went into reverse. Something started pulling over her carefully, knocking onto her stomach.

"H-hey!"

"Shh, keep quite." Lightning muttered as he settled over the girl. Darkness devoured her vision as she found herself peeking out from under a 4,500 thousand some pound hunk of living machinery. She swallowed.

In retrospect, maybe that hadn't been such a good idea. But that was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment as she huddled down under Lightning. He was much lower to the ground than Mater's body was, which was an optimistic as well as an unhelpful aspect, since to be seen the car had to be purposefully _looking for her_ would have to their windshield lower than Lightning's chassis. On the other hand, Lightning had to be tense, (he could crush her just by lowering on his tires) and utterly still, and Carmen had to be flat on her belly. She crawled foreword a little using her elbows, to get a better vantage view of the newcomer, but Lightning made a small grunt and shifted down on his front tires, a singular noise and movement that said '_No_.' to her. She stopped, and listened.

"_Helloo_ to you!" The car greeted with a yell as it surged up the incline and slowed to a stop in front of him.

From the view Carmen got of it's tires, she suspected it was facing McQueen directly. Doc flanked Lightning's left, and had his nose pointed between them. There wasn't a trace of a threat in his smooth voice when he spoke, though.

"You are the famous Number 95, Lightning McQueen, yes?" The voice was evidently male, but had an interesting accent Carmen couldn't quit place. Aside from that, it did not sound familiar to her.

"I am. And you are…?" Lightning trailed off evenly, sounding reserved but pleasant. Above her, she heard his engine whine.

"Ahh, call me car 77, lucky number, eh? Anyway, was hoping to have a quick friendly competition with you, ja?" At Lightning's noticeable vacillation, and Doc's quiet, the car kept speaking. "Come now, my friend, just a quick spin around the town?"

At this Doc answered. "It's too dangerous to go speeding around town, let alone the speed you were just going off road. …just where did you learn to handle yourself on dirt, kid?"

'_That must mean he's younger than Doc, at least by a few years.' _

Lightning stirred uneasily on his chassis, and suddenly Carmen realized he was favoring his back left tire. _'What…?'_

"Actually, I was just talking to Doc about racing, got a, got a slow leak, in my back tire. Yeah…don't want to do much moving with that, right?" McQueen joked lamely, cutting in before the other car could answer Doc. From under him, his voice rattled with his engine, which was at present humming gently. The noise would increase, Carmen suddenly noticed, if the other car got closer to him. With Lightning it was typically flight instead of fight, but she wondered if he was making an omission for her. Probably not.

"Then I'll head with you back into town? How's bout that? That okay, Champ?" Carmen fought back a gag. '_Is this guy for real?'_

"In fact, I was just about to head back to town to get our town's tow truck. He isn't fit to be driving." _'Doc, you are my hero.'_ Carmen thought.

The other car 'tsked' somewhere in front of her. "Shame then, _real_ shame. Was so looking foreword to a good chase. Well, maybe next time, ja?"

"Yeah, maybe next time." McQueen echoed.

"I'm off then, fair well!" Said the voice.

Instantaneously that loud engine roared to life, pure horsepower grinding as the car sped off somewhere back the way it had came. Carmen felt relief inundate through her, glad it was gone. She couldn't take much more of this, surely her heart couldn't! It was almost beating too fast for her to hear properly.

Lightning coughed a little, sticking his tongue at the dirt that got in his mouth. He made a gagging noise.

"Do you believe the nerve of that guy? I mean c'mon, how bold can you get, just coming up to _my_ training spot and asking for a race!"

"I know Hot Rod, now get off Carmen before you squish her."

Sullenly, Lightning backed up with a pout, revealing a grim covered skinny thing from under him that quickly clambered to her feet and took in a huge breath and let it out as a sigh of relief. She pulled her hair behind her ear bashfully, but McQueen seemed bothered by something else, he made no comment. It wasn't like him to be speechless.

"_That_ was a close one," Carmen commented, shaking off what she could of the soot.

"And what if he found Carmen? It was like he was _snooping_ you know, going that fast like he was _looking_ for something! Well, too bad for him. He's not gonna find you Carmen, I promise." Carmen blinked. She had almost forgotten about their earlier encounter, she was so busy mulling over the one they'd just had with the four of them.

"All right Hot Rod, you've made your point." Lightning scowled at the soil beneath his tires form the Hudson's reprimand. Or perhaps it was something else.

"I mean it Doc…they're not taking her away. I won't let them." He glared angrily before him, Carmen walked sheepishly beside him, as the two cars were only rolling along anyway. Who ever 'They' were, she wasn't so sure she wanted to find out. The government? Did they even _have_ a government, or something equivalent to that? Were they a democracy? Soon, however, they were back on the main street of Radiator Springs, so Doc excused himself to his shop, and telling Lightning to get himself a drink at Flo's to unwind and Carmen to have a good night.

"Good night, sir." She said response.

"I do need a pint…I'll meet you back at the motel, Carmen?"

"…" '_What if I did get…found? Would they separate me from Lightning and Mater? Would I ever them again, or anyone in Carburetor County'?_

"Carmen?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure Lightning. ….and…thanks. For earlier."

"No problem," The red stock car smiled up at her, before turning towards' Flo's gas station. Dusk had settled and the diner would be closing soon, as it always did on Sundays.

The brunette continued idly on her way, walking down the large shoulder of the main road.

'_And if I got to go back, would I? I…I like it here. A lot. I'm sure I would have fun back home, too, but this is different. I wasn't really __**needed**__ at home. They loved me, yes, but there's just something about being in a place where you __**belong**__ that must feel so right. I want that." _

"Well good evening Miss Carmen. What've you been up to today?" A friendly southern voice broke her from her thoughts, Mater's on headlight weakly illuminated the road before her a little.

"Hi, Mater." She patted his hood affectionately as he coasted up beside her. "I found some food. And Lightning got in good practice for the season," _'And there's a creepy car as black as night driving around the place like mad, and it wants a race with Lightning.'_

"'Well, _shoot_, that's good! Lookit you fendin' fer yerself." He nudged her knee playfully with his tire. She chuckled in response, pushing back with evident happiness.

After a moment of companionable silence between the two, Mater swerved amiably in a ziz-zag, "Well, its gittin' late, you want me to drive you to yer cozy cone, ma'am?"

"It's alright Mater, I'll head home fine by myself," She laughed, "Thanks for the offer,"

"Alright, good nigh' Miss Carmen!" Mater went into reverse and coasted backwards as easily as if he were driving forwards, "Sleep tight, don't let them bed-bugs bite!"

She had made it about five feet from the towing yard when something grabbed her roughly by the arm out of the shadows, yanking her right away into an alley. Carmen moved to scream, her heart thudded as the hand grabbed her roughly deeper into the alley.

"WHHA-" She was cut off by the hand clamped firmly over her mouth. Wait a minute…'_hand?' _

"_Sshhh_." The voice was much harsher than Lightning's previous shush, but it sounded more frightened, and not at all…cruel. Oddly, Carmen didn't feel as scared as she might have been. Besides, he said 'shh' not 'shut up.'

Quickly the shadowed person turned and pinned her against the wall, his green eyes wide under a mop of dark hair. In this light, she saw little incriminating features that would help her if she came out of it alive. He kept a hand clamped firmly over her mouth, desperation giving him apparent strength, because he didn't look much taller than her, or much stronger, of that matter. But he _did_ look scared.

It wasn't the boy before her that made _her_ scared; it wasn't the way that he had her pinned against a wall so harshly. It was the illuminated red race car that had spotted them, that was glaring heatedly at the new human.

It was that Lightning looked ready to mow the kid over, and _that_ was what scared Carmen.

**I feel as if this chapter was a tad rushed. Your thoughts? **


	4. Put it in Park

**A/N's: Now, there is a picture online of the inside of a 1973 Porsche race car, and that is the basic design I'm using for the inside of Lightning's 'body'. In this chapter, the small discrepancies have been fixed, you'll notice you know have to climb in through his driver window, there's only one bucket seat, and so on. **

It wasn't the boy before her that made _her_ scared; it wasn't the way that he had her pinned against a wall so harshly. It was the illuminated red race car that had spotted them, that was glaring heatedly at the new human.

It was that Lightning looked ready to mow the kid over, and _that_ was what scared Carmen.

**66**

It had been thrilling to him; all of his life, he had wanted nothing more than this. And for once in his life, to travel the world and explore on his own, without any one. And to be sure, he was enjoying every second of it. Living on the edge like his father, staring out into the blue horizon everyday and wondering where life would take him next. This would never bore him; he was sure…even if it _was _a bit scary. And unsafe. And scary. And when he stumbled into this new land, this land populated by _talking cars_, that moved and lived and…talked, was scary enough for anyone.

It had been astonishing to say the least, and wonderful when he found another person here besides himself. So he wasn't going crazy unless it was possible for two people to go crazy with the exact same mental insanity about cars, and he didn't think it was.

But following his father's footsteps had _always _been Calvin's dream. And he was going to live up to his wanderer heritage even if it turned out to be the scariest, most unsafe thing he would ever do. Which, he reminded himself uneasily, it probably would be. But he tried not to permit himself to think of the daring adventures that he, Calvin, would embark upon. Even if he wasn't sure where he was or where he was headed. And even if he had to put up with certain nut jobs in the process.

In honest truth, the aforementioned "nut jobs" of the place really just consisted of one person, and it wasn't even a _person_. And "nut job" really translated into "machine", "terrifying" and "menacing".

Three strikes for Lightning McQueen.

"_Let. Her. Go."_ McQueen tried to put as much venom in the statement as possible.

Carmen wiggled hurriedly between the wall and the other kid. The boy let her brake loose and stumble away from him, principally because he seemed too bewildered for speech or movement other than gazing at the talking car with eyes the ideal extent of dinner plates.

This, in perspective, was good for him, as this gave Carmen the capability to intercept Lightning before he clipped the new human with his front tire, and his engine was already alluding to such an feat as he dug in his back tires and prepared to charge.

"Lightning, calm down!" She placed herself half in front of him, both palms spread spacious on his garnet slick hood; as if this action could hold back about nine hundred angry horses. He glared intensely around her, his engine buzzing. Still, her body language was clear, but it confused him, and he finally stared at her with questioning eyes. His engine stalled. He pouted.

"Don't look at me like that, you over grown lawn mower." Like a toddler, McQueen stuck out his lower lip farther, and settled haughtily on his tires.

"Now." Carmen spoke with clarity in the other human's direction, though her voice cracked just a smidgen at her next sentence despite her control. "Tell me who you are….and how…how did you _get_ here?"

The other human only glared at her, pursing his lips in defiance. Lightning's engine rumbled and little and he gathered himself on his chassis. Clearly he was disgruntled. Clearly he wanted to go back the motel and sleep for Chrysler's sake, but _noooo_….he, personally, saw nothing immoral with driving (literally) the boy either out of town, or out of his mind.

Carmen's face transformed into a wicked scowl. Above all, rudeness was not tolerated to her.

The boy suddenly turned to run, only to find himself sandwiched between the racers' nose, his teeth gritted against each other as he spoke.

"Stay. Put." The car ground out, his wide eye lids were quite low.

"Now…what is your name?" Carmen asked a second time. If there was just glint of menace in her tone, it was because _she_ had the thousand pound machine on her side and she knew it, then no one blamed her for it.

"My name's…_Calvin_." He muttered.

"What?" Carmen leaned forward to hear the boy's statement clearer.

"It's Calvin." He blushed, staring at his sneakers as if he expected them to tell him all of life's secrets.

"Ehh…I hear someone coming," At this interrupting statement, McQueen rolled back an inch or so, glancing behind him with hesitation. Calvin slumped to the ground a little and quickly regained his balance. He seemed to be considering the back exit of the alley way behind him as a possible escape route. The approaching noise turned out to be an engine, but it seemed far enough off.

Carmen proceeded to panic. "Ahh uhm…_Oh_! Lightning!"

"What?" The stock car jumped on his tires, startled.

"Put down your window, let him hide in you." Carmen urged.

Lightning looked at her as if she'd asked him to kiss Chick Hicks on the mouth. "Are you nuts? No way am I letting that punk in me!"

"Please! We don't have a choice," Carmen said, pushing Calvin by his shoulders toward McQueen, who reversed until his back end hit the side wall, a clear look of disgust on his features.

"No _WAY_! That thing almost _killed_ me!" Calvin dug in his heels.

"Oh for the love of," With an insistent shove, Carmen got Max in Lightning's window, hurriedly pushed his waist, then used the sole of the boy's sneakers as leverage when they were all that was left of him dangling out of Lightning. He fell in to Lightning's bucket seat with a whack. The red car shook himself sadistically form left to right, a glare on his windshield.

"Lightning, be_have_." Carmen hissed at the other motor came closer.

A loud _thunk_ came from inside McQueen. Carmen stared at him and he inoffensively gazed upward, mouth warped comically.

Lightning gave a discontented grunt, but stayed motionless as was requested of him.

After several minutes during which the only thing Carmen could hear absolutely perfectly was her pounding heartbeat, and soon she decided the coast was clear, whoever it was must have just been taking a u-turn back down the road. There was no real danger here anyway, between Luigi's tire Shop, an abandoned building and with both alley ends opened to the road and the desert night behind them.

Calvin poked his head out of McQueen's window, glaring at the girl.

"You stupid girl! I_-iiiieeeeee_!" Before Carmen suddenly floated a cloud of dust. Lightning had took off, that teenager still in him. He was holding on to Lightning's side with ashen knuckles as the racecar sped along into the desert. The car didn't speak or even retort to Max's yells, his engine merely roared down the dirt as he sped through the night, his indigo eyes narrowed in livid concentration.

"Slow down! Stop! _Please_!" The kid's words were whipped from his mouth as shallow echoes into the starry darkness. Lightning sped into a extensive circle, then narrowed it, turning the slide into fixed doughnuts and letting his back end fish tail behind him.

Even from Carmen's point of view, (and she could only decipher a red spot severing the thick night with wicked turns and jumps, about one hundred yards away form her) it was a spectacle nothing short of terrifying.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, just…._get me out of this death trap_!"

Lightning's eyes widened slowly, he blinked twice as if gathering his wits, as he coasted to a gentle twenty miles per hour, he elegantly glided back toward Carmen, but the expression on his face was one of smug impiety. It grew at the stunned look on the girl's face. His engine purred terrifically.

"Putting that kid in me? Yeah….Worst. Idea. Ever." The stock car spoke declaratively.

Carmen swallowed. "For him, yeah. You looked like you enjoyed yourself."

Poor Calvin was shakily climbing out of his driver window at this point, and without any hesitance McQueen gave himself one great heave to the left, and the boy fell out onto the cool ground into a piteous bundle.

"You'd better come with us," Carmen suggested as Calvin picked himself up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She admonished her hand to him, to help him up. He reached for it, but thought better of it when Lightning's engine growled behind him forebodingly.

"Oh-oh yeah? I can just _run_, you know." Calvin dusted off his jeans as he spoke.

"And I'm only the fastest thing on four wheels, you know. You'd only get, oh, maybe, five feet." McQueen quipped. Calvin stared back at him.

"_Maybe_." Lightning threatened.

Calvin ogled between them, and finally dropped his head down to rest his chin on his chest in defeat. "…Fine."

Carmen jammed her hands in her pockets to warm them as she walked along side Lightning and Calvin. The night breeze was undisturbed without the alley walls now, and it sent a chill down her spine at its tickles. It was a quick jog down from Luigi's Tires Shop to the Cozy cone, but they had to move extra quiet past the sleeping buildings and the cars within them, though it wasn't unusual for Carmen and Lightning to be out and about this time of night, it was to have more than one human.

"Do you even _have_ a license?" Calvin inquired impertinently as they snuck into Motel Cone number one.

Carmen stared at him; mouth slightly a gape, before throwing out her arms in a wild gesture to Lightning. "He's a living breathing car! Why bother drive him when he can just drive _me_?" She whispered harshly.

McQueen yawned pointedly.

Carmen shook her head at the tactless boy, and then gestured to the room around them, that was lightly bathed in an opaque radiance from the moonlight that spilled from the windows. "Here. You'll hide in here until…until I can figure out a way to introduce you to Doc without him losing nuts and bolts. So…uh…good night." She mumbled out the last words, dropping near Lightning's side groggily.

He smirked as he wondered what Carmen would do without him.

Carmen settled down next to Lighting, cozied right into to his right side, hand tucked into fists to avoid him accidently roll over of them. It was tepid next to his humming body, even after he turned off his engine and set himself into park. She dropped her head under her arm, and Lighting felt her breathing even out quickly.

Calvin, for his part, stared at the scene before him, but after a few noiseless minutes he went to sit down on the wall farthest away from the living car, even when he sat down with his knees tucked up to his chest no one else made a move or said anything to him. Calvin spent several minutes staring at where he imagined Carmen to by laying. It was a room with enough light to well decipher both Lightning and Carmen; he could even read the Rusteez's logo on the stock car's hood pretty well.

And then Lightning's eyes suddenly snapped open and darted over to the other human.

An awkward silence loomed over them, and suddenly the brown-haired boy wanted to be anywhere except under McQueen's frightening glare.

Carmen, unaware of what was transpiring, merely snorted in her sleep as she further buried herself against the stock car. This actually would've been really funny to Calvin, had Lightning not been _looking _at him like he wanted to ram him down.

But instead of doing something incredibly scary, the red car merely gave an irritated grunt and closed his eyes. It took a few moments for this to register in the teenager's mind; it took a few more for him to realize he was safe to go about his business.

When Calvin was finally in his own corner, however, he couldn't help but cautiously glance a peek at the two. And as he did so, he didn't know whether to be amused or surprised. Certainly seeing the car that'd tried to murder him earlier in such a situation would be deemed humorous. On the other hand, the trust openly extended by that girl to this hunk of metal was almost astonishing.

It was at this revelation that Calvin's mind was finally put to rest. A relieved sigh escaping his lips, he closed his eyes and breathed easy for the first time since he set out from his home.

"Come near her again, and I'll run you over."

**I unfortunately caught a small bug Monday, and it seemed to have escalated into a bigger bug today. Therefore I found ample time to write this chapter, though while it may be less rushed this time, I have less of an idea with what to back it up for the fifth chapter. Well, I'm certain I will think of something sustainable. Thank you very much for reading!**


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